AN AWARD WINNING LYING MACHINE ON THE LOOSE AGAIN.

AN AWARD WINNING LYING MACHINE ON THE LOOSE AGAIN. 

The king of misinformation and a 'celebrated' serial liar was virtually on air 2 days ago doing what he knows best.

Chief John Okiyi Kalu was put on the spot by the Rapid FM Radio Programme anchors who asked him to confirm the reduction of travelling time from the Capital City, Umuahia to his native Abiriba Community as a result of the newly reconstructed and commissioned Umuahia to Abiriba Road by the Governor Alex Otti's led administration. As expected, he did not disappoint, he lied by expressing doubt about the brightness of the daylight and darkness of the night. 

JOK has become so synonymous with lying, falsehood, misinformation, mischief-making and fake news that truth and facts for him are dependent on his confirmation and verification. Chief Okiyi has mastered the art of lying to the point of believing his own lies. No Abian, especially from the Old Bende extraction expected JOK to admit that the Road leading to his hometown has been reconstructed after his wasted 8 years with the last administration. What they could not do in 8 years, has been completed in 22 months. More so, the reconstruction was done on ground for the people to see and use, not on the billboard space where his Boss built most of his kinetic projects with little or nothing to show on ground for the people to see and use.

JOK, during his Rapid FM virtual appearance delved into lecturing his listeners on democracy, due process, good governance, transparency and accountability. He failed to realise that people tend to look at what you do (did) than what you say. When he was in Government just less than 2 years ago, he saw nothing wrong with the sharp practices of looting and plundering of public resources. It was a necessary and acceptable practice to create Emergency Billionaires without enterprise under the Government he served. Public funds were siphoned into private accounts, public spaces and buildings were converted into private estates, public schools were coveted and sold, billions of State funds appropriated for the construction of Abia Airport was diverted into private projects and pockets and 70% of public investment and equity in ENASCO was criminally allotted to political appointees and cronies.

Chief Okiyi is still missing the point. He is looking for Governor Otti's projects in the wrong place. The projects including schools, healthcare centres, hospitals, public buildings, roads, bridges, erosion control sites, water fountains, streetlights, CCTV cameras, salaries and pensions, Airport, NYSC camp, sports facilities, accreditations, street beautification, transport terminals, bus stations etc, are on ground not on kinetic billboards. The location of projects have moved or jumped from JOK's usual billboards locations to what Abians can see, confirm and use on ground/site. The era of kinetic billboard projects was retired with JOK and his Bosses in 2023 by Abians. All projects executed so far in Abia State by the Governor Alex Otti's led administration followed due process and laid down acceptable procedures. It followed the process that translates to the delivery of quality projects as specified and on time. It is a complete departure from JOK's signature lying 8 years of due process projects that ended up on retirement papers and invoices without the physical projects on ground. I have bad news for JOK, Billboard projects retired on the books and files have no place in the New Abia. 

Between 2015 and 2023 under the watch of JOK as 'super' Commissioner, the defection of Abia State House of Assembly members to the PDP from APGA was heroic and statesmanly. As the then commissioner for information, JOK praised the defection as a testament of the overwhelming support for a 'performing' Governor, albeit, on billboards. Today, as a private citizen out of Government, defection has become a crime and treason unacceptable to the chameleonic JOK whose positions and outlooks are in constant change depending on whether he is in or out of Government. 

Chief Okiyi's selective outrage about defection is determined by the name and character of the Party you are joining or leaving. If you are leaving PDP to another political party, it is 'Jumpology' and you must surrender the seat you occupied under the PDP platform but if you leave another party to join the PDP, it is an act of statesmanship to support the 'good' work of the PDP Governor or President and deserve to be given a juicy committee appointment and an automatic return ticket. In JOK's slippery world view, it was jumpology for candidate Alex Otti to leave PDP to APGA to realise his aspiration and must have remained in APGA after the ruling Abia PDP infiltrated the APGA party and deliberately created internal crisis within the party to eliminate strong opposition in the State but a master stroke and political sagacity for his 'revered' Bosses to leave PDP to PPA, to APGA and back to PDP. As a 1998 foundation member of the PDP as JOK falsely claimed, he participated passively and actively in the destruction and ruining of Abia State from 1999 to 2023 and has no regrets. The move from PDP to PPA, APGA and back to PDP may not qualify as 'Jumpology' for JOK but it certainly cannot escape 'Moveology'. JOK and his revered Bosses and Lootocrats may have not jumped political parties but they have obviously moved from one political party to the other. In their case of movement walking without jumping, political parties are just special purpose vehicles to capture political party but for Governor Alex Otti and others who left a political party to another political party to pursue their political aspiration, it is a serious crime and sin of 'Jumpology' in a shadow criminal code and bible. A round of applause for JOK and his new dictionary of semantics!

Finally, we are all witnesses to the role of JOK and his principal in the 2023 Presidential election. It was an acceptable practice to be in party A and work for party B to the extent that JOK and his Boss were involved. JOK during his virtual radio appearance confirmed that his principal(s) are still bonafide members of the PDP and can never jump parties though they have moved parties before. However, there is nothing wrong in their staying in party A and working for party B. They can also stay in party A and subtly lobby for appointment from party B. There is no doubt in my mind that if and when lying is introduced as a sports in the Olympic games, we already have parade a potential gold medalist. 

Ctz. UKOHA NJOKU UKOHA 

Chief Press Secretary to the Executive Governor of Abia State. 

30-04-2025.